600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces”
With a mix of prose, critical reflection, and an accompanying series of drawings inside a daily planner, this intimate essay reimagines multiple conceptions of “space” in relation to different kinds of sickness and wellbeing. Meditating on COVID-19 quarantine spaces and bipolar disorder mood/mind-sp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cultural Studies Association
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Lateral |
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| Online Access: | https://csalateral.org/section/crip-pandemic-life/600-mg-of-lithium-quarantine-and-third-spaces-he/ |
| _version_ | 1797802919956840448 |
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| author | Caroline He |
| author_facet | Caroline He |
| author_sort | Caroline He |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With a mix of prose, critical reflection, and an accompanying series of drawings inside a daily planner, this intimate essay reimagines multiple conceptions of “space” in relation to different kinds of sickness and wellbeing. Meditating on COVID-19 quarantine spaces and bipolar disorder mood/mind-spaces allowed me to discover messied “third” spaces that explore margins, and complicate ideas of boundaries and binaries. Doing so allowed me to think through new possibilities of healing, restoration, and intimacy when we talk about mental health. I offer up my personal account of a young female Asian American graduate student navigating a ten-year struggle with clinical bipolar disorder, and the personal experiences of “madness,” relapse, and recovery during the winter and spring of 2021. I reflect on my daily routines inside my 800-square-foot apartment and my growing realization that prevailing ideas of “space” are incomplete and contradictory—but can be replete with futurities and learning possibilities. Fittingly, this creative piece does not endeavor to offer any neatly packaged analysis or solid conclusions. Instead, I present one account of grappling with mental illness under extraordinary circumstances and hope it can speak to individual and collective discussions on mental health, disability, and spatiality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:14:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61172509aca84166ab16690387e31547 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2469-4053 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:14:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Cultural Studies Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Lateral |
| spelling | doaj.art-61172509aca84166ab16690387e315472023-06-16T01:09:43ZengCultural Studies AssociationLateral2469-40532023-06-0112110.25158/L12.1.12600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces”Caroline He0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5408-7001University of Maryland, College ParkWith a mix of prose, critical reflection, and an accompanying series of drawings inside a daily planner, this intimate essay reimagines multiple conceptions of “space” in relation to different kinds of sickness and wellbeing. Meditating on COVID-19 quarantine spaces and bipolar disorder mood/mind-spaces allowed me to discover messied “third” spaces that explore margins, and complicate ideas of boundaries and binaries. Doing so allowed me to think through new possibilities of healing, restoration, and intimacy when we talk about mental health. I offer up my personal account of a young female Asian American graduate student navigating a ten-year struggle with clinical bipolar disorder, and the personal experiences of “madness,” relapse, and recovery during the winter and spring of 2021. I reflect on my daily routines inside my 800-square-foot apartment and my growing realization that prevailing ideas of “space” are incomplete and contradictory—but can be replete with futurities and learning possibilities. Fittingly, this creative piece does not endeavor to offer any neatly packaged analysis or solid conclusions. Instead, I present one account of grappling with mental illness under extraordinary circumstances and hope it can speak to individual and collective discussions on mental health, disability, and spatiality.https://csalateral.org/section/crip-pandemic-life/600-mg-of-lithium-quarantine-and-third-spaces-he/bipolar disorderlockdownmanicdepressivespatialitythird spacespacecovid-19pandemicmental healthquarantine |
| spellingShingle | Caroline He 600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces” Lateral bipolar disorder lockdown manic depressive spatiality third space space covid-19 pandemic mental health quarantine |
| title | 600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces” |
| title_full | 600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces” |
| title_fullStr | 600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces” |
| title_full_unstemmed | 600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces” |
| title_short | 600 mg of Lithium, Quarantine, and “Third-Spaces” |
| title_sort | 600 mg of lithium quarantine and third spaces |
| topic | bipolar disorder lockdown manic depressive spatiality third space space covid-19 pandemic mental health quarantine |
| url | https://csalateral.org/section/crip-pandemic-life/600-mg-of-lithium-quarantine-and-third-spaces-he/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carolinehe 600mgoflithiumquarantineandthirdspaces |